Warp knitting adjustment mechanism



March 18, 1969 M. TRAUMULLER 3,433,034

WARP KNITTING ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM Filed March 2, 1967 Sheet of 5 INVENTOR. M/l/QT/N TEAUMULLE/Z March 8. 1969 M. TRAUMULLER WARP KNITTING ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM Sheet g ors Filed March 2, 1967 INVENTOR. MAU/A/ TEAUMULLEQ M F/g. Z

M rc 1969 M. TRAUMULLER 3,433,034

WARP KNITTING ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM Filed March 2, 1967 Sheet 3 015 INVENTOR. MART/N TIQ/YUMULLEIQ United States 3,433,034 WARP KNITTING ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM Martin Traumuller, Dumont, Ni, assignor to Domestic Lace Mfg., Inc., Englewood, NJ. Filed Mar. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 620,096 US. Cl. 66150 Int. Cl. D04b 27/34 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to Warp knitting machines such as double or single needle bar Raschel twarp knitting machines and is particularly concerned with means for producing on such machines shaped, knitted fabrics such as knitted fabrics of tubular form, the diameter of which varies according to predetermined dimensions, The invention is also concerned with the production on such machines of flat warp knitted fa'brics having varying predetermined widths.

Description of the prior art Heretofore, where attempts have been made to utilize warp-knitting machines for the production of shaped fabrics, such as flat fabrics of varying width or tubular fabrics of varying diameter, it has frequently been necessary to engage in time-consuming and expensive stoppages of the warp knitting machine so as to permit changes in the number of needles employed or in other elements of the machine; or resort has been had to the use of elastic yarns which can stretch to a limited extent so as to produce some variation in the fabric Width or diameter. Alternatively, shaped fabrics are sometimes made on Warp knitting machines by a method known as patterning, which, however, is also a time-consuming, cumbersome and expensive procedure.

Parenthetically, it may also be noted that on other machines, such as conventional full-fashioned knitting machines, fabrics of varying avidth and fiat form may also be made by suitably varying the number of knitting needles employed, thereby determining the number of stitches or loops in the courses of the fabric. The fabric thus made may thereafter be joined by a suitable seam to produce a fabric of tubular form; and here, also, elastic yarns may be employed to permit diametral variations in the tubular forms thus produced. However, this approach to the manufacture of shaped fabrics entails the inconvenience and expense attendant upon the aforesaid variation in the number of knitting needles. Moreover, for esthetic and other reasons, the presence of a seam on tubular knitted fabric may not be desirable and its production by this method requires the aforesaid joining operation and the time consumed thereby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the foregoing problems by means of a modification of a warp knitting machine, such as a Raschel machine, where a predetermined numher of threads is presented by a predetermined number of knitting needles, which number is not varied in the knitting process. The modification comprises means for disengaging the driving pawl from the ratchet gear of the fabric take-up mechanism, thereby varying the circumferential movement of the take-up roller and thus varying the size of the loops which are knit in the courses of the fabric being formed by the warp knitting machine. The disengaging means includes a chain, the links of which are of varying height, disposed in contact with a roller so as to effect a vertical displacement thereof. This displacement is transmitted to a pawl shielding plate which disengages the driving pawl from the teeth of the ratchet gear, the extent of the disengagement being determined by the extent of the aforesaid vertical displacement.

Since the driving pawl normally drives the ratchet gear through an angular interval corresponding with the number of teeth which the driving pawl displaces on the ratchet gear, the aforesaid disengagement of the driving pawl results in a corresponding variation in the angular displacement of the ratchet gear. Moreover, since the ratchet gear is connected by means of a suitable gear train to the take-up roller which is engaged with the fabric, the variation in the angular displacement of the ratchet gear will effect a corresponding variation in the circumferential movement of the take-up roller. This movement, of courses, determines the size of the loops being knit in the courses of the fabric. Hence, by varying the size of such loops, it is possible to knit flat warp knitted fabrics of varying Width and tubular fabrics of varying diameter, the magnitude of these variations being determined by the size of the loops in the various courses of the fabric.

Thus, it will be seen that the present invention solves the previously described problems encountered in the production of shaped fabrics by means of conventional machinery.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in warp knitting machines whereby shaped fabrics, such as flat warp knitted fabrics of varying width and tubular fabrics of varying diameter, may be conveniently produced with a minimum of effort, expense and time.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improvement of the character described which may be employed in conjunction with a Raschel warp knitting machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for knitting a shaped fabric on a Warp knitting machine without the necessity of stopping the machine during the knitting process, changing the number of needles employed or replacing other elements of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for knitting seamless, shaped tubular fabrics on a Warp knitting machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide automatic means for varying the size of the knitting loops in fabric produced by Warp knitting machines.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide shaped fabrics produced by the improvement of the character hereinabove referred to.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following discussion as read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of a Raschel warp knitting machine incorporating one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, left side elevational view of the said Raschel warp knitting machine and of the said embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, front elevational view of various features of said embodiment of the invention wherein the driving pawl is depicted in engagement with the ratchet gear;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the features of said embodiment of the invention depicted in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the driving pawl depicted in FIGURE 3 wherein said driving pawl has been disengaged from the ratchet gear;

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of one form of driving pawl employed in the said embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevational view of the chain and roller employed in said embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary, elevational view of a tubular, shaped fabric produced by the aforesaid embodiment of the invention.

Throughout the various views, similar numerals have been employed to indicate similar parts of the illustrated embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As previously indicated, the present invention may be employed in conjunction with a conventional warp knitting machine wherein a fixed number of knitting needles is employed throughout the knitting process. More particularly, the invention may be employed in conjunction with the conventional fabric take-up mechanism on such a machine.

This combination may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing. As may be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawing, one embodiment of the invention may be employed together with a Raschel warp knitting machine of the conventional variety. Such a machine includes a frame, generally designated by the numeral 10 and provided with various members of a conventional fabric take-up mechanism, which includes a driving sprocket 11 surmounting the main cam shaft 12 of the warp knitting machine. The driving sprocket 11 is provided with a chain 13 which communicates with an idler sprocket 14 and a driven sprocket 15. The chain 13 also communicates with another driven sprocket 16, the function of which will hereinafter be explained in detail.

The driven sprocket 15 is connected eccentrically with a crank rod 18 in the conventional manner as by a block 19 provided with threaded means 20 for adjustin the end 21 of the crank rod 18 axially of the block, such adjusting means being well known to those skilled in the art.

The other end 22 of the crank rod 18 is connected to a plate 23 which is surmounted by a driving pawl 24 in the conventional manner. Said plate 23 is also affixed to a yoke 25 which is rotatably engaged with a shaft 26. The driving pawl 24 is normally urged into engagement With the teeth of a ratchet gear 28 by means well known to those skilled in the art, such as by suitable spring means (not shown).

With the foregoing arrangement, it will be seen that mtation of the driving sprocket 11 will cause the eccentrically mounted crank rod 18 to reciprocate, thereby urging the driving pawl 24 to displace the ratchet gear 28 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawing. The extent of the displacement which is possible by this means depends upon the extent of the travel of the reciprocating crank rod 18, this, in turn, being determined by the magnitude of the eccentricity of the mounting of the end 21 of the crank rod 18. An arresting pawl 29 engageable with the teeth of the ratchet gear 28 is also provided to prevent undesirable clockwise rotation of the ratchet gear 28.

The foregoing mode of determining the movement of the ratchet gear 28 is conventional and well known, as is its connection to a drive pinion 30 which is mounted upon the shaft 26 and mates with a driven pinion 31 surmounting a shaft 32. A sprocket 33 is also connected in the conventional manner by a chain 34 to a sprocket 35 on a fabric take-up roller 36 which is rotated by said sprocket 35, thereby determining the rate of take-up of the fabric 38 being knitted.

It :will be seen from the foregoing that the conventional arrangement of the above-noted warp knitting mechanism does not permit variation in the fabric take-up except by varying the extent of the eccentricity of the crank rod 18 or by the use of various sizes of gears and sprockets as replacements for those referred to above or by other cumbersome expedients, all of which are well known to those skilled in the art. However, these methods of varying the fabric take-up require stoppage of the (warp knitting machine, extra parts and the expenditure of the time required in effecting the said changes in the warp knitting machine.

An important feature of the present invention avoids these difiiculties by providing varying means for predetermining the extent of engagement of the driving pawl 24 with the ratchet gear 28 so as to effect a corresponding variation in the magnitude of the fabric take-up. Since the magnitude of the fabric take-up determines the size of the loops knitted in the courses of the fabric, variation of the magnitude of the fabric take-up will effect a corresponding variation in the size of said loops. Thus, when the fabric take-up is large, the loops will be correspondingly large, thereby permitting the knitting of a course of loops which will be wide in the case of a flat, knitted fabric, as compared with the course of small loops which will be produced when the fabric take-up is small. Similarly, in the case of tubular, knitted fabrics, such as that depicted diagrammatically in FIGURE 8 of the drawing, a large fabric take-up will effect the knitting of large loops in a diametral course, such as that referred to by the numeral 40, and a small fabric take-up will elfect the knitting of small loops in a diametral course such as that referred to by the numeral 41. Since seamless, tubular fabrics, as such, are easily produced on warp knitting machines by conventional methods, it will be seen that the production of shaped, seamless tubular fabrics by my invention may be accomplished.

The structure and operation of the various parts of the illustrated embodiment of my invention includes a chain generally designated by the numeral 42 and depicted in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 7 of the drawing. This chain 42 is provided with links of varying heights, such as those designated by the numerals 43, 44 and 45 (see FIGURE 7), said links being connected by intermediate elements 46. The chain 42 is engaged with a drum 48 provided upon a gear motor 49 which is driven by the sprocket 16. The chain is also connected with a suitable idler drum 47.

The links 43, 44, 45 are contactable with a roller 50 depending from a steering rod 51, the said links 43, 44, 45 vertically displacing the roller 50 and steering rod 51 in accordance with the height of each of said links 43, 44, 45. A bifurcated lower end 52 of the steering rod 51 is engaged with the shaft 53 of the drum 48, thereby insuring a vertical disposition of said steering rod 51.

As may be seen in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing, the upper end 54 of the steering rod 51 is pivotably engaged with a pin 55 depending from a pawl shielding plate 56.

The pawl shielding plate 56 is rotatably engaged with the shaft 26 and is provided with a curved end face 57, the curvature of which corresponds with the curvature of the outermost surface of the ratchet gear 28. The pawl shielding plate 56 is also provided with a rectilinear lower surface 58 which intersects the curved end face 57, thereby forming an edge 59 contactable with a roller 60 depending from the driving pawl 24. As may be best seen in FIG- URE 4, the pawl shielding plate 56 laterally offset portions at 61 and 62 so as better to accommodate the pawl shielding plate 56 on the shaft 26 and in the vicinity of the roller 60, respectively.

The driving pawl 24 is depicted in FIGURE 6. As may be seen in this figure, the driving pawl is provided with a shaft 63 extending through a boss 64, said shaft 63 being mounted upon a yoke 65 (shown in FIG. 1), in accordance with the usual practice followed in conventional equipment of this kind, the driving pawl 24 being pivotably engaged with said shaft 63. The roller 60 is also rotatably secured to a shaft 66 depending from the driving pawl 24.

The driving pawl 24 includes a tooth 68 which is engageable with the teeth of the ratchet gear 28, as shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing. By means of this engage ment, the reciprocating motion of the driving pawl 24, effected by the reciprocation of the crank rod 18, can displace the ratchet gear 28 in a counterclockwise direction through an angular interval determined by the extent of the said reciprocation of the crank rod 18. Indeed, according to conventional practice, wherein the pawl shielding plate 56 of the present invention is not employed, the eccentricity of the crank rod 18 may be adjusted so as to move the driving pawl 24 through angular intervals corresponding with multiples of the pitch of the teeth of the ratchet gear 28, Le, so that the driving pawl 24 can displace one or more teeth of the ratchet gear 28 through the angular interval occupied by such teeth. However, in this conventional arrangement, the size of the knitted loops in the courses of the fabric produced by the warp knitting machine is constant for any given reciprocation of the crank rod 18 and driving pawl 24, when all other elements of the warp knitting machine remain unchanged.

The present invention permits variation in the size of such loops by effecting a predetermined disengagement of the driving pawl 24 from the teeth of the ratchet gear 28. As may be seen in FIGURES l, 3 and 5 of the drawing, the edge 59 of the pawl shielding plate 56 is contactable with the roller 60 on the driving pawl 24. When the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate 56 is horizontal, as in FIGURE 3, the tooth 68 of the driving pawl 24 is engageable with the teeth of the ratchet gear 28 so as to effect a counterclockwise displacement of the ratchet gear 28, the extent of such displacement being determined by the magnitude of the reciprocation of the driving pawl 24 induced by the reciprocation of the crank rod 18. However, when the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate is inclined, as shown in FIGURE 5, the edge 59 displaces the roller 60 outwardly of the ratchet gear 28, thereby withdrawing the tooth 68 of the driving pawl 24 from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet gear 28.

The extent of the inclination of the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate 56 will be determined by the vertical displacement of the steering rod 51 which, in turn, will be determined by the height of the chain links contactable with the roller 50. Thus, displacement of the roller 50 by any given link in the chain 42 will effect a corresponding pivotal displacement of the pawl shielding plate 56 and a corresponding inclination of the lower surface 58 thereof. The inclination thus produced will disengage the tooth 68 of the driving pawl 24 from the teeth of the ratchet gear 28. The links in the chain 42 may have any predetermined height so that when assembled in said chain 42, each link will effect a disengagement of the tooth 68 of the driving pawl 24 from one or more teeth of the ratchet gear 28 which, but for the displacement of the roller 60 by the pawl shielding plate 56, would normally engage such teeth during its reciprocation induced by the reciprocation of the crank rod 18. Thus, depending upon the inclination of the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate 56, the roller 60 will be disposed at various points upon the curved end face 57 of the pawl shielding plate 56, thereby causing the tooth 68 to miss a number of teeth which it would otherwise encounter on the ratchet gear 28 during the reciprocation of the driving pawl 24.

It will be noted that according to conventional practice, a course of loops is knitted during each displacement of the ratchet gear 28, the size of the loops being determined by the circumferential movement of the take-up roller 36 effected by such displacement, said take-up roller 36 being engaged with the fabric 38 being knitted. The greater such displacement, the greater will be the corresponding circumferential movement of the take-up roller 36 and the size of the loops determined thereby. Conversely, the smaller the displacement of the ratchet gear 28, the smaller will be the corresponding circumferential movement of the take-up roller 36 and the size of the loops determined thereby.

It will also be seen that when the inclination of the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate 56 is small, the tooth 68 of the driving pawl 24 will miss only a correspondingly small number of teeth in the ratchet gear 28 and will be able to displace it through a correspondingly great angular interval; and when the inclination of the lower surface 58 of the pawl shielding plate 56 is great, the converse situation will result whereby the ratchet gear 28 will be displaced through a comparatively small angular interval. In effect, the disengagement of the tooth 68 accomplished by the pawl shielding plate 56 will result in a subtraction of a number of teeth from those which would otherwise be displaced by the interaction of the driving pawl 24 with the ratchet gear 28.

By using links of varying height in the chain 42, correspondingly varied disengagements of the driving pawl 24 from the ratchet gear 28 will be effected. If links of progressively increased height are employed, there will be a progressive increase in said disengagements of the driving pawl 24 and a correspondingly progressive decrease in the size of the loops formed in successive courses of the fabrics being knitted by the warp knitting machine. So, also, with a decrease in the height of the links, there will be a corresponding decrease in the disengagement of the driving pawl 24 and a corresponding increase in the size of the loops formed in the courses of the fabric.

When large loops are formed in a course, it will be longer than a course composed of small loops. Thus, by the means previously described, courses of progressively increasing or decreasing length may be formed. In the case of flat warp knitted fabrics, varying widths may be thereby produced; and in the case of tubular fabrics, varying diametral dimensions may be produced.

For example, in the diagrammatic view of the tubular fabric depicted in FIGURE 8, a greater diametral course, composed of larger loops, may be formed at the position designated by the numeral 40, as compared with the smaller diametral course composed of smaller loops at the position designated by the numeral 41. The links of the chain 42 may be selected so as to produce a progressive decrease in the loop sizes, and hence in the lengths of the diametral courses, from course 40 to course 41; and thereafter, a progressive increase in the size of the loops and hence in the lengths of the diametral courses, may be effected until the diametral course is formed, said diametral course 80' being of such length as that of the diametral course 40.

The courses produced in the fabric from diametral course 40 to diametral course 80 corresponds with a complete cycle of the chain 42 around the drum 48. The cycle may be repeated by further rotation of the drum 48, thereby producing similar variations in the diametral courses of successive portions of the knitted fabric.

It will be seen that seamless shaped fabrics may be produced in this manner since the invention effects a shaping of the otherwise seamless, tubular fabric normally produceable on a warp knitting machine. Moreover, by resort to the procedures and mechanisms hereinabove described, shaped fabrics may be knitted for use in a wide variety of garments such as stockings, socks, sweaters, blouses, skirts, girdles, hairnets and other articles, the contour of the said fabrics being varied, as desired, by the means hereinabove described.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described hereinabove has been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is susceptible to being modified in respect to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a warp knitting machine provided with a ratchet gear for actuating a fabric take-up roller, a shaft for supporting said ratchet gear, a reciprocable pawl engageable with the ratchet gear and driving means for reciprocating said reciprocable pawl to drive said ratchet gear, the combination comprising:

(a) inclinable plate means for disengaging said reciprocable pawl from said ratchet gear;

(b) chain means driven by said driving means;

() said chain means communicating with means for actuating said plate means, whereby said pawl is disengaged from said ratchet gear during a portion of the reciprocation of said pawl;

(d) said chain means including links of variable height;

(e) said links being engaged with a rotatable drum;

(f) means for rotating said rotatable drum;

(g) said means for rotating said rotatable drum being provided with a sprocket driven by said driving means;

(h) a rod provided with a roller contactable with said links, whereby said rod is vertically displaceable;

(i) said rod communicating with a pin depending from said plate means;

(j) said plate means being rotatably secured to said shaft;

(k) said pin being disposed laterally of said shaft;

(1) said pin rotating said plate means to an inclined position when said rod is vertically displaced.

2. In a warp knitting machine provided with a ratchet gear for actuating a fabric take-up roller, a shaft for supporting said ratchet gear, a reciprocable pawl engageable with the ratchet gear and driving means for reciprocating said reciprocable pawl to drive said ratchet gear, the combination comprising:

(a) inclinable plate means for disengaging said reciprocable pawl from said ratchet gear;

(b) chain means driven by said driving means;

(0) said chain means communicating with means for actuating said plate means, whereby said pawl is dis engaged from said ratchet gear during a portion of the reciprocation of said pawl;

(d) said plate means including a generally planar member provided with a rectilinear surface intersecting a curved surface to form an edge;

(c) said reciprocable pawl including a tooth engageable with said ratchet gear;

(f) said reciprocable pawl being provided with a roller;

(g) said edge being contactable with said roller when said plate means is disposed in an inclined position, whereby said tooth is retracted from said ratchet gear.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,737,197 11/1929 Oberlander 6677 2,185,963 1/1940 Lambach 66149 2,990,703 5/1956 Bialostok 66152 X MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

